Double your Turkey, Double your Fun

This year we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving twice, on both Thursday and Friday. On Thursday we ate with our friends the Mons and the Bernards. Everything was super delish and we had a lot of fun spending the day with great friends.

Here is Harrison getting every last bit of his ice cream. That's my kind of kid.

Maddie loves attention from anyone and everyone, but she was especially enthralled with Mariah

The Bernard Clan, minus James and Grace

Ryan attempted to feed Maddie some mashed potatoes but she didn't know what to do with them...we should probably start with a little rice cereal

Robyn (the hostess with the mostess), being coached by her hubby, Tyler, on how to shake it on "Dance Dance Revolution"

She's a fast learner

On Friday we celebrated with the Roses, the Beestons, and the Giles family. Once again the food was fabulous and the company was wonderful.

Liz (the other hostess with the mostess, front and center) put on a great party. Here is everyone shortly after devouring dinner

Little George turned 7 months old today and he's already learned how to "drive" his little car, the smarty-pants. How cute is that?

Ed and Scott made the paper Thanksgiving turkey. We all wrote what we were Thankful for on the feathers and then guessed who had written what. It really got us into the spirit of the holiday (even though it was technically the day after Thanksgiving)

Maddie and the Beestons-she's once again loving all the attention

Isaac, once again, loving all the pie

It was a great holiday weekend that has reminded me once again how blessed we are to be here in Iowa with so many wonderful friends who have become our family away from home and who make the holidays so memorable. Thank you all!

All Kinds of Animals

Ryan had the day off because of Thanksgiving break so we decided to bundle the kids up and head to the Omaha Zoo. It was pretty chilly outside when we first got there, but luckily there were plenty of animals to see indoors, and it warmed up a little by the early afternoon.

All bundled up at the beginning of the trip.

It's hard to tell, but that is an enormous boa constrictor behind Ryan.

They have an amazing rain forest exhibit (notice the parrots behind Isaac). It took me back to the time I spent in Ecuador--it felt the same, looked the same, and even smelled the same!

Isaac inside the butterfly exhibit--there were hundreds (maybe even thousands) of beautiful butterflies!

I think even Maddie appreciated them.

This kid sure thought he was something else while he was walking around instead of riding in the stroller. He kept saying "nino grande! (big boy)" over and over.

Best $1.29 we spent all day--these Cheetos kept Isaac from melting down on the 2-hour car ride home.

Sunday Morning Bed Head

"Here ya go, Maddie"

Like many toddlers, Isaac struggles with sharing, so yesterday when he decided to share his toys with Maddie, I thought I better document it. First, he started with a couple of his favorites--his airplane and Spanish-singing Care Bear. Then he decided to take out every toy in his toy basket. As he mounted them next to her one by one, he would say "Heee-ya go, Maddie" ("here you go, Maddie"--and yes, he has finally started calling her "Maddie", as opposed to "Mammie").

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--airplane."

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--blocks."

"Heee-ya go, Maddie--libros (books)."

As you might imagine, all the toys occupied her for quite some time.

Best Week(end) Ever!

Kandis has been one of my BFFs since we met as missionaries in the Dominican Republic. She has always been there for me, supporting me in everything I do. She was even in cahoots with Ryan when he popped the question. Here are some pics as proof. He funded the project but I think she did all the work--pretty fancy, huh?Have we aged or what? But enough about us, more about Kandis...

This past weekend she came for a visit--now that is true friendship--taking a vacation to the Midwest in November. She said that "visiting Iowa" is on her list of things to do before she dies, so I'm glad I could help her fulfill that dream.

We were able to catch up on each other's lives, go to the movie, take a day trip to Nauvoo (to see some of our church's historical sights), and eat way too much. Thank you Kandis!!! I tried to convince her to stay and be my nanny but I couldn't compete with the bank she makes as a CPA. She was great with the kids and they both loved having her here. So did I. We can't wait to see you again next month!